In a landmark rebuke of antisemitism on American campuses, Columbia University has agreed to pay a staggering $221 million to the U.S. government to settle multiple federal investigations into its handling of antisemitic harassment and discrimination.

The bulk of the payment—$200 million—will go to the federal government over a three-year period, with an additional $21 million earmarked for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The deal follows the Trump administration’s unprecedented freeze of hundreds of millions in research grants earlier this year, amid allegations that Columbia failed to protect Jewish students and faculty from discrimination and intimidation.

The agreement marks a seismic shift in federal accountability for elite academic institutions, many of which have come under fire in the wake of pro-Palestinian campus protests that have often devolved into virulent displays of antisemitism. The March freeze of grants had jeopardized Columbia’s access to billions in funding from agencies like the NIH and HHS, crippling research and prompting a campus-wide reckoning.

Although Columbia has not admitted wrongdoing, university leadership acknowledged “painful, unacceptable incidents” targeting Jewish students and faculty, and conceded that “reform was and is needed.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed the deal as “a seismic shift in our nation’s fight to hold institutions that accept American taxpayer dollars accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment.”

“Thanks to President Trump’s firm leadership, Columbia has agreed to pay $200 million, discipline disruptive student offenders, restructure its faculty senate, remove race-based hiring and admissions preferences, and dismantle DEI programs that distribute benefits based on race,” McMahon said. “Columbia’s reforms are a roadmap for elite universities that wish to regain the public’s trust.”

The settlement also restores Columbia’s eligibility for federal research funding, including the renewal of non-competitive grants and the release of overdue payments. The few grants not reinstated, Columbia said, were excluded due to unrelated federal budget reductions.

The university said that the agreement preserves its independence in key academic areas, including admissions and faculty hiring. But the scope of mandated reforms—including a retooling of Middle Eastern studies programs to incorporate “viewpoint diversity”—signals a profound federal intervention in how elite institutions handle allegations of bias.

“The need for a federal settlement underscores Columbia’s lack of institutional willingness to effectively respond to antisemitism. This school and its so-called leaders have failed time and time again to keep Jewish students, faculty and staff safe,” said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), who chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee

Walberg vowed continued congressional oversight of Columbia’s compliance and signaled potential legislation to ensure universities uphold federal anti-discrimination laws. “True progress requires universities to confront antisemitism proactively, in partnership with affected communities,” he said.

The Columbia deal is expected to reverberate across higher education, setting a new benchmark for federal enforcement of civil rights on campus.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)